Traditionella byggmetoder har använts sedan de tidigastecivilisationerna och är både kostsamma och ineffektiva. Dagensbygg- och anläggningsindustri är en av de största bidragsgivarnatill utsläpp av växthusgaser. För att komma till rätta med denglobala bostadsbristen och samtidigt minska vår klimatpåverkanbehövs en förändring; Vi måste bygga bättre. Denna rapportföreslår att 3D-skriven konstruktion kan vara ett mer miljövänligtsvar på bostadsbristen samtidigt som hänsyn tas till ökandebyggkostnader samt brist på kvalificerade arbetskraft. Studienutfördes genom en kombination av litteraturgranskning ochintervjuer med sakkunniga personer inom 3D-skrivenkonstruktionsbranschen följd av en SWOT-analys. Resultatenbelyste de många fördelarna med 3D-skriven konstruktioninklusive en hög energieffektivitet, behov av färre hantverkare,mindre avfall jämfört med traditionella byggmetoder och att detfinns inga arkitektoniska begränsningar. Analys av teknikensfördelar och nackdelar gav slutsatsen att även om 3D-skrivenkonstruktion kan vara ett lönsamt alternativ till traditionellabyggmetoder behövs ytterligare forskning och investeringar innandet kan bli standardpraxis inom byggbranschen. / Traditional construction methods have been used since earlycivilizations and are both costly and inefficient. The buildingindustry is one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gasemissions across all sectors. To tackle the global housing crisiswhile simultaneously reducing our carbon footprint a change mustbe made; We need to build better. This paper suggests that 3Dprinted construction can be a more environmentally friendlyanswer to the housing crisis while also taking into considerationrising costs of building materials and a shortage of skilled labor.The study was performed through a combination of literaturereview and interviews with people in the field of 3D printedconstruction followed by a SWOT analysis. The results highlightedthe many benefits of 3D printed construction including energyefficiency, fewer workers needed, lack of architectural boundariesand less waste in comparison to traditional building methods.After analysis of both the benefits and challenges associated with3D printed construction it can be concluded that although it maybe a viable alternative to traditional construction methods, furtherresearch and investment is needed before it can become standardpractice in the construction industry. / <p>2023-06-23</p>

Orientador: Ruis Camargo Tokimatsu / Resumo: Ao longo das duas últimas décadas, a contribuição da manufatura aditiva passou da confecção de um mero protótipo de um produto, no início de seu desenvolvimento, para a confecção de qualquer produto direto, presente em todos os setores industriais. Com este avanço, diferentes tecnologias da manufatura aditiva surgiram com o intuito de melhorar alguns parâmetros de produção. Neste meio, a tecnologia de impressão tridimensional 3DP, por consequência de suas várias características intrínsecas, se destaca para atender o setor biomédico, através da técnica de biomodelagem, que contribuem imensamente de forma didática e prática para a performance de cirurgias. Porém, há algumas limitações finais nas peças obtidas por esta tecnologia que devem ser contornadas, focando-se no tratamento adicional necessário destas peças, o pós-processamento, de modo a aprimorá-las, conferindo então sucesso ao destino destas. Neste trabalho, adotou-se a tecnologia de manufatura aditiva 3DP para estudar como a adição de diferentes agentes infiltrantes influenciam no acréscimo de densidade aparente e resistência mecânica de amostras feitas de componentes de gesso, constituídas por corpos de prova cilíndricos e prismáticos, de modo a simular a melhor composição para biomodelos. Para isto, o pós-processamento foi dividido em duas etapas. Na primeira etapa, foram aplicados separadamente nas amostras, quatro tipos de adesivos à base de etilcianocrilato, por gotejamento, e um à base de epóxi, por moldagem com... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Mestre

Submitted by Silvia Teixeira de Mello null (silviateixmello@gmail.com) on 2017-10-26T21:23:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO SILVIA MELLO 2017-3 CORRIGIDA 26-10.pdf: 3630355 bytes, checksum: 302fa9b705ffc11d7192a4b67392d0c6 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Monique Sasaki (sayumi_sasaki@hotmail.com) on 2017-10-31T18:59:52Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 mello_st_me_ilha.pdf: 3630355 bytes, checksum: 302fa9b705ffc11d7192a4b67392d0c6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-31T18:59:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 mello_st_me_ilha.pdf: 3630355 bytes, checksum: 302fa9b705ffc11d7192a4b67392d0c6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-30 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Ao longo das duas últimas décadas, a contribuição da manufatura aditiva passou da confecção de um mero protótipo de um produto, no início de seu desenvolvimento, para a confecção de qualquer produto direto, presente em todos os setores industriais. Com este avanço, diferentes tecnologias da manufatura aditiva surgiram com o intuito de melhorar alguns parâmetros de produção. Neste meio, a tecnologia de impressão tridimensional 3DP, por consequência de suas várias características intrínsecas, se destaca para atender o setor biomédico, através da técnica de biomodelagem, que contribuem imensamente de forma didática e prática para a performance de cirurgias. Porém, há algumas limitações finais nas peças obtidas por esta tecnologia que devem ser contornadas, focando-se no tratamento adicional necessário destas peças, o pós-processamento, de modo a aprimorá-las, conferindo então sucesso ao destino destas. Neste trabalho, adotou-se a tecnologia de manufatura aditiva 3DP para estudar como a adição de diferentes agentes infiltrantes influenciam no acréscimo de densidade aparente e resistência mecânica de amostras feitas de componentes de gesso, constituídas por corpos de prova cilíndricos e prismáticos, de modo a simular a melhor composição para biomodelos. Para isto, o pós-processamento foi dividido em duas etapas. Na primeira etapa, foram aplicados separadamente nas amostras, quatro tipos de adesivos à base de etilcianocrilato, por gotejamento, e um à base de epóxi, por moldagem com pá. Já na segunda etapa, foram aplicados nas amostras, também separadamente, quatro tipos de adesivos à base de etilcianocrilato, por gotejamento e banho de imersão, e um à base de epóxi, por moldagem com pá. Além dos métodos de aplicação dos adesivos, as duas etapas se diferem também pelos binders utilizados para constituírem as amostras à base de gesso. Para ambas etapas, obteve-se o melhor resultado com o adesivo de cianocrilato de baixíssima viscosidade, capaz de provocar maiores variações de densidade aparente às amostras, além de maiores acréscimos de resistência. / Over the past two decades, the contribution of additive manufacturing has shifted from a mere prototype of a product at the beginning of its development to the production of any direct product present in all industrial sectors. With this advance, different technologies of the additive manufacturing appeared with the intention to improve some parameters of production. In this environment, three-dimensional printing 3DP technology, due to its various intrinsic characteristics, stands out to serve the biomedical sector through the biomodelling technique, which contribute immensely in a didactic and practical way for the performance of surgeries. However, there are some final limitations in the parts obtained by this technology that must be improved, focusing on the necessary additional treatment of these parts, the post-processing, in order to upgrade them, thus giving success to their destination. In this study, 3DP additive manufacturing technology was adopted to study how different infiltrating agents influence the increase in apparent density and mechanical strength of samples made of gypsum components, constituted by cylindrical and prismatic specimens, in order to simulate the best composition for biomodels. For this, the post-processing was divided in two stages. In the first stage, separately, four types of ethylcyanoacrylate-based adhesives were applied on the samples by dripping, and one epoxy-based adhesive was applied by shovel molding. In the second stage, also separately, four types of ethylcyanocrylate based adhesives were applied in the samples, by dripping and by dipping, and the epoxy-based, by shovel molding. Besides the adhesive application methods, the two stages also differ from the binders used to constitute the gypsum-based samples. For both stages, the best result was obtained by the cyanoacrylate adhesive with very low viscosity, capable of causing greater variations of apparent density and additions of strength to the samples.

3DP (three-dimensional printing) technologies have become more than just a tool to help companies with prototyping and designing in the pre-production stage. Some firms have already implemented 3DP technology to produce parts and end-use products. However, there are several challenges and barriers that this technology must overcome to replace traditional manufacturing methods. One of the most significant obstacles associated with 3D printing is its low level of accuracy in variable repeatability when it comes to making separate batches of the same product. There are several arguable reasons behind this variation. Some of the factors that can influence repeatability are the type of material, the design, the type of product produced, and the orientation, or the location of the build inside the building envelope. The goal of this study was to determine whether the location of the build inside the surface area of the working envelope can affect the properties (height, width, depth, and weight) of the product. Western Kentucky University (WKU) provides students with a few 3D printers on campus. One of those printers, a Stratasys (model: BST 768/SST 768), is in the Senator Mitch McConnell Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics Laboratory. The researcher used this printer for the study to determine if the location of the printer influenced the final product. The conclusion of the research did reveal that the printing location does affect the quality of the final product.

Thèse réalisée dans le cadre d'une collaboration avec UCB Pharma et la région Wallonne s'inscrivant dans le cadre du projet SAS. Le but de ce projet était de développer des implants sous-cutanés imprimés en trois dimensions pour permettre une libération d’anticorps thérapeutique de manière prolongée au cours du temps. En effet, les thérapies disponibles sont souvent administrées par voie intraveineuse, ce qui peut réduire la compliance des patients dû à l’inconfort et à la fréquence de ces administrations. Les systèmes de délivrance, tels que des implants, peuvent limiter les fréquences d’administration grâce à l’insertion d’un dispositif qui libèrera le principe actif au cours du temps durant une période donnée. Les implants s’inscrivent comme une alternative aux microsphères qui sont également des dispositifs développés et investigués en vue de favoriser l’adhésion et la compliance des patients. L’avènement du 3D dans le milieu pharmaceutique a montré une certaine frénésie liée au développement de la médecine personnalisée et à l’innovation du procédé dans ce secteur. La sélection d’un matériau biocompatible et biorésorbable tel que le PLGA représente une véritable plus-value dans le développement d’implant. Etant donné que ces implants sont biodégradables, le retrait n’est pas à envisager, ce qui limite les désagréments du patient à un seul acte chirurgical lors de l’implantation. Au cours de ce travail, une approche pragmatique a d’abord été abordée sur les procédés d’extrusion à chaud et de l’impression 3D en utilisant un polymère couramment employé dans l’impression grand public, le PLA. L’investigation des paramètres d’impressions (température d’impression, epaisseur de couche et vitesse d’impression) et l’usage de divers plastifiants (la triacétine (TA), le polyethylène glycol 400 (PEG 400), le citrate de triéthyle (TEC) et l’acétyle citrate de triéthyle (ATEC)) pour faciliter les procédés à chaud et dans l’idée de réduire les températures d’extrusion et d’impression du matériau ont été évalués. Ces essais ont démontré l’effet de la température d’impression sur la qualité de l’impression et principalement sur les propriétés du matériau comme la force de traction et la ductilité. De plus, l’ajout de plastifiant à la matrice du PLA a permis de diminuer sa température de transition vitreuse. Par exemple, la température de transition vitreuse du PLA a été diminuée de 53 °C à 34 °C par l’ajout de PEG 400. Cette approche avait pour but d’évaluer la possibilité de diminuer les températures d’impression dans l’optique d’encapsuler à chaud un anticorps sensible à la chaleur pour la suite de ce travail.Ensuite, le développement de filaments imprimables contenant des anticorps a été abordé et mis en place à l’aide d’un modèle d’anticorps polyclonal disponible en grandes quantités et à des coûts relativement faibles. Un anticorps à l’état solide a été favorisé dans le procédé car il est largement accepté que les protéines sous forme solide sont plus stables au cours du temps en comparaison aux solutions d’anticorps. De plus, cet état solide facilite les manipulations précédant l’extrusion comme l’étape de mélange. Pour la réalisation des filaments, différents types de PLGA ont été investigués afin d’atteindre les propriétés nécessaires à l’impression en termes de diamètre mais également de comportement physique. Ces dérivés étaient caractérisés par des masses moléculaires différentes comme pour le PDLG5004 (44 kDa), le RG502 (7-17 kDa) et parmis eux, un copolymère PEG-PLGA (2 kDa-20 kDa). Un PLGA de faible masse moléculaire a été sélectionné pour développer ce filament. En effet, les extrusions étaient réalisables à une température maximum de 90 °C et les impressions à 113 °C minimum. L’un des enjeux cruciaux du développement de filament imprimable contenant un anticorps à haute concentration, au minimum 15% (w/w), était d’en assurer l’homogénéité. Cependant, l’usage de températures aussi élevées lors de l’impression a induit la dégradation de l’anticorps par la formation d’agrégats et principalement de fragments. Ces derniers sont généralement produits lors de procédé à haute température ou par l’usage de conditions drastiques telles que l’acidification du milieu. Cette plateforme a été adaptée à l’encapsulation d’anticorps thérapeutique fournit par UCB Pharma. L’usage d’un anticorps monoclonal possédant une stabilité supérieure à celle du modèle initialement utilisé permettrait d’identifier l’impact du procédé sur l’intégrité de l’anticorps. La formulation de l’anticorps a été réalisée en utilisant différents stabilisants conventionnels (sucrose (Suc), trehalose (Tre), 2-Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrine (HP-β-CD), inuline (Inu) et sorbitol (Sor)) et reconnus pour la stabilisation des protéines. A côté des excipients ajoutés, différentes quantités d’excipients ont été investigués. Ces manipulations ont montré que la stabilité de l’anticorps était privilégiée à l’aide du sucrose et du tréhalose à un ratio anticorps monoclonal:excipient de 2.0:1. En gardant ce ratio, l’ajout d’un acide aminé (leucine) aux deux disaccharides précédemment cités, a amélioré la stabilité de l’anticorps vis-à-vis des procédés à chaud (extrusion et impression 3D). L’homogénéité au sein des filaments imprimables et des pièces 3D a été confirmée tout au long du procédé. En effet, les charges en anticorps étaient similaires à la charge théorique de 15% (w/w). Aucune fragmentation de l’anticorps n’a été observée à l’issue des procédés à chaud. Cependant, une augmentation des agrégats de 2.6% en solution à 3.6% après impression 3D a été constatée à la fin du processus. Après avoir stabilisé l’anticorps, le but premier étant d’en promouvoir une libération prolongée au cours du temps. Les profils ont révélé une libération en trois phases au cours du temps mais avec un relargage après 24h relativement faible (< 5%) dû à la densité des matrices polymériques. Ensuite, la dégradation du polymère représente l’élément limitant la libération de l’anticorps au cours du temps. En effet, l’érosion du polymère joue un rôle clé dans la libération de l’anticorps encapsulé. La libération au cours du temps a été démontrée sur une période allant jusqu’à 15 semaines. La stabilité de l’anticorps dans le milieu de dissolution a été évaluée et une dégradation de celui-ci au cours du temps a été observée. Cette dégradation est principalement liée à l’érosion du polymère et à l’acidification du milieu au cours du test de dissolution. Après avoir optimisé la formulation de l’anticorps et avoir démontré la libération prolongée de celui-ci, son affinité restait à être étudiée. La capacité de l’anticorps à se lier à sa cible a pu être démontrée après 24h de dissolution mais cette affinité s’est réduite au cours de la durée de la dissolution avec une augmentation de l’agrégation et de la fragmentation de l’anticorps. Une étude de stabilité a également démontré que les implants imprimés en 3D sont stables à une température 5 °C sur une durée de 6 mois. Aucun élément de dégradation n’a été observé au cours du temps et l’affinité de l’anticorps a été préservée au cours de l’étude. Finalement, cette plateforme a également été évaluée pour l’encapsulation d’une troisième molécule biologique, un fragment d’anticorps monoclonal, pour d’une part en estimer la stabilité et l’applicabilité et d’autre part envisager une prochaine étude pré-clinique sur rongeurs. Le fragment d’anticorps a montré une stabilité supérieure à celle de l’anticorps monoclonal avec une faible agrégation après l’extrusion et l’impression. La libération prolongée du fragment a été évaluée sur 8 semaines et une libération du fragment de 79% a été observée avec une formulation contenant du tréhalose et de la leucine. En effet, les fragments d’anticorps ont une demi-vie plasmatique relativement faible, de l’ordre de 28 minutes, ce qui donne tout son sens à des systèmes à libération prolongée. Pour finir, la réalisation d’une étude pré-clinique permettrait de valider le modèle. En conclusion, ce travail a démontré la faisabilité de l’usage de l’impression 3D en vue de développer des systèmes à libération prolongée contenant des anticorps et en utilisant des procédés à hautes températures. Ces implants ont été caractérisés par une stabilité favorable et une libération intéressante qui feront l’objet d’investigation lors d’études pharmacocinétiques. / Doctorat en Sciences biomédicales et pharmaceutiques (Pharmacie) / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, has arisen as a revolutionary technology with the potential to revolutionize numerous industries, including the medical industry. It is a layer-by-layer manufacturing process used to create intricate structures. Numerous industries are planning to implement it on a large scale in order to meet the bespoke market demands as a result of its ability to produce individualized components. This study investigates the determinants influencing the adoption of AM in-house versus reliance on external suppliers for applications involving additive manufacturing. The study acknowledges the significant impact that AM has had on the evolution of the medical field, allowing for customized medical devices, patient-specific implants, and sophisticated surgical instruments. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors influencing the adoption of AM in-house versus reliance on external suppliers for applications involving additive manufacturing. This study utilized a quantitative approach with a survey-based methodology. The sample population consisted of university hospital surgeons from various origins. This research aims to gain insight into their preferences, motivations, and concerns when it comes to implementing AM by analysing their perspectives. The study employs the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) framework to analyse the findings. This theoretical framework offers a comprehensive lens through which to analyse the factors that influence the adoption of AM in the medical setting. Utilizing the CFIR framework, this study investigates the numerous factors that influence the perceptions and decision-making processes of surgeons. In conclusion, this research examines the determinants influencing the adoption of AM in-house versus reliance on external suppliers for applications involving additive manufacturing. The quantitative approach, coupled with the application of the CFIR framework, enables a thorough examination of the factors that influence the decision-making processes of surgeons. This study's findings have implications for the future implementation and utilization of AM in the medical field, thereby contributing to the advancement of patient care and surgical procedures.

Three dimensional printing (3DP) is one of the most important solid freeform fabrication (SFF) methods that can produce any material with desired 3D shape by using suitable powder-binder formulations. It differs from the standard molding operations in that it can produce a complicated shapes by a software driven instrument in a laminated fashion and the cost is lower. This method can be applied in a very wide area including drug release operations, biomaterial production especially for bone fixation, prototype production for all purposes, wound dressing etc. It can also be used in obtaining edible objects by using natural polysaccharides with water based binders. In this study, it is aimed to understand the gelling behaviour of some of the gelling materials, which are alginates, pectins and carageenans, and effect of various factors on the production of confectionary objects by means of 3DP process. Effect of multivalent cations, especially Ca2+ ion, on the gelling behaviour of these materials are investigated. The egg-box structure obtained between the polymer segments increases the water holding capacity of the materials and much more chewy structures can be obtained. The molecular changes are followed by Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In 3DP applications, the composition of powder and binder, pH, temperature, relative humidity (RH) and machine parameters are important factors affecting the texture of the final object. The texture of the produced specimens is examined by using a texture analyzer and maximum force values are given as g/cm at failure. Alginate and carrageenans are found to be more effective in obtaining chewy textures with Ca2+ ion content in sugar based matrices and optimization of machine parameters are performed to obtain a higher resolution on the specimens.

This bachelor thesis aims to integrate and evaluate a 3D printing robotic cell at the SmartIndustry Group – SIG lab at Linnaeus University (LNU).A sustainable structure consisting of wood fiber polymer composites was 3D printed withan industrial robot. Sustainable 3D printing material can be recycled or burned for energyafterwards. The 3D printing material used in this thesis stems from certificated forests. The objective is to utilise this technology in manufacturing courses and research projectsat the SIG lab at LNU. This objective is achieved by creating an operation manual and avideo tutorial in this thesis.The integration and evaluation process will involve offline robot programming,simulation, and practical experiments on the 3D printing robotic cell.

Polysiloxanes represent a unique class of synthetic polymers, employing a completely inorganic backbone structure comprised of repeating –(Si–O)n– 'siloxane' main chain linkages. This results in an assortment of diverse properties exclusive to the siloxane bond that clearly distinguish them from the –(C–C)n– backbone of purely organic polymers. Previous work has elucidated a methodology for fabricating flexible and elastic crosslinked poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) constructs with high Mc through a simultaneous crosslinking and chain-extension methodology. However, these constructs suffer the poor mechanical properties typical of lower molecular weight crosslinked siloxanes (e.g. modulus, tear strength, and strain at break). Filled PDMS networks represent another important class of elastomers in which fillers, namely silica and siloxane-based fillers, impart improved mechanical properties to otherwise weak PDMS networks. This work demonstrates that proper silicon-based reinforcing agent selection (e.g. siloxane-based MQ copolymer nanoparticles) and incorporation provides a synergistic enhancement to mechanical properties, whilst maintaining a low viscosity liquid composition, at high loading content, without the use of co-solvents or heating. Rheological analysis evaluates the viscosity while photorheology and photocalorimetry measurements evaluate rate and extent of curing of the various MQ-loaded formulations, demonstrating theoretical printability up to 40 wt% MQ copolymer nanoparticle incorporation. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and tensile testing evaluated thermomechanical and mechanical properties of the cured nanocomposites as a function of MQ loading content, demonstrating a 3-fold increase in ultimate stress at 50 wt% MQ copolymer nanoparticle incorporation. VP AM of the 40 wt% MQ-loaded, photo-active PDMS formulation demonstrates facile amenability of photo-active PDMS formulations with high MQ-loading content to 3D printing processes with promising results. PDMS polyureas represent an important class of elastomers with unique properties derived from the synergy between the nonpolar nature, unusual flexibility, and low glass transition temperature (Tg) afforded by the backbone siloxane linkages (-Si-O)n- of PDMS and the exceptional hydrogen bond ordering and strength evoked by the bidentate hydrogen bonding of urea. The work herein presents an improved melt polycondensation synthetic methodology, which strategically harnesses the spontaneous pyrolytic degradation of urea to afford a series of PDMS polyureas via reactions at high temperatures in the presence of telechelic amine-terminated oligomeric poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS1.6k-NH2) and optional 1,3-bis(3-aminopropyl)tetramethyldisiloxane (BATS) chain extender. This melt polycondensation approach uniquely circumvents the accustomed prerequisite of isocyanate monomer, solvent, and metal catalysts to afford isocyanate-free PDMS polyureas using bio-derived urea with the only reaction byproduct being ammonia, a fundamental raw ingredient for agricultural and industrial products. As professed above, reinforcement of polysiloxane materials is ascertained via the incorporation of reinforcing fillers or nanoparticles (typically fumed silica) or blocky or segmented development of polymer chains eliciting microphase separation, in order to cajole the elongation potential of polysiloxanes. Herein, a facile approach is detailed towards the synergistic fortification of PDMS-based materials through a collaborative effort between both primary methods of polysiloxane reinforcement. A novel one-pot methodology towards the facile, in situ incorporation of siloxane-based MQ copolymer nanoparticles into segmented PDMS polyureas to afford MQ-loaded thermoplastic and thermoplastic elastomer PDMS polyureas is detailed. The isocyanate-free melt polycondensation achieves visible melt dispersibility of MQ copolymer nanoparticles (good optical clarity) and affords segmented PDMS polyureas while in the presence of MQ nanoparticles, up to 40 wt% MQ, avoiding post-polymerization solvent based mixing, the only other reported alternative. Incorporation of MQ copolymer nanoparticles into segmented PDMS polyureas provides significant enhancements to modulus and ultimate stress properties: results resemble traditional filler effects and are contrary to previous studies and works discussed in Chapter 2 implementing MQ copolymer nanoparticles into chemically-crosslinked PDMS networks. In situ MQ-loaded, isocyanate-free, segmented PDMS polyureas remain compression moldable, affording transparent, free-standing films. / Master of Science / Polysiloxanes, also referred to as 'silicones' encompass a unique and important class of polymers harboring an inorganic backbone. Polysiloxanes, especially poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) the flagship polymer of the family, observe widespread utilization throughout industry and academia thanks to a plethora of desirable properties such as their incredible elongation potential, stability to irradiation, and facile chemical tunability. A major complication with the utilization of polysiloxanes for mechanical purposes is their poor resistance to defect propagation and material failure. As a result polysiloxane materials ubiquitously observe reinforcement in some fashion: reinforcement is achieved either through the physical or chemical incorporation of a reinforcing agent, such as fumed silica, or through the implementation of a chemical functionality that facilitates reinforcement via phase separation and strong associative properties, such as hydrogen bonding. This research tackles polysiloxane reinforcement via both of these strategies. Facile chemical modification permits the construction PDMS polymer chains that incorporate hydrogen bonding motifs, which phase separate to afford hydrogen bond-reinforced phases that instill vast improvements to elastic behavior, mechanical and elongation properties, and upper-use temperature. Novel nanocomposite formulation through the incorporation of MQ nanoparticles (which observe widespread usage in cosmetics) facilitate further routes toward improved mechanical and elongation properties. Furthermore, with growing interest in additive manufacturing strategies, which permit the construction of complex geometries via an additive approach (as opposed to conventional manufacturing processes, which require subtractive approaches and are limited in geometric complexity), great interest lies in the capability to additively manufacture polysiloxane-based materials. This work also illustrates the development of an MQ-reinforced polysiloxane system that is amenable to conventional vat photopolymerization additive manufacturing: chemical modification of PDMS polymer chains permits the installation of UV-activatable crosslinking motifs, allowing solid geometries to be constructed from a liquid precursor formulation.

In the Manufacturing Industry there is a subset of technologies referred to as Rapid Technologies which are those technologies that create the ability to compress the time to market for new products under development . Of this subset, Additive Fabrication (AF), or more commonly known as Rapid Prototyping (RP), acquires much attention due to its unique and futuristic approach to the production of physical parts directly from 3D CAD data, CT or MRI scans, or data from laser scanning systems by utilizing various techniques to consecutively generate cross-sectional layers of a given thickness upon the previous layer to form 3D objects. While Rapid Prototyping is the most common name for the production technology it is also referred to as Additive Manufacturing, Layer Based Manufacturing, Direct Digital Manufacturing, Free-Form Fabrication, and 3-Dimensional Printing. With over 35 manufacturers of Additive Fabrication equipment in 2006 , the selection of an AF process and material for a specific application can become a significant task, especially for those with little or no technical experience with the technology and to add to this challenge, many of the various processes have multiple material options to select from . This research was carried out in order to design and construct a system that would allow a person, regardless of their level of technical knowledge, to quickly and easily filter through the large number of Additive Fabrication processes and their associated materials in order to find the most appropriate processes and material options to create physical reproductions of any part. The selection methodology used in this paper is a collection of assumptions and rules taken from the author's viewpoint of how, in real world terms, the selection process generally takes place between a consumer and a service provider. The methodology uses those assumptions in conjunction with a set of expert based rules to direct the user to a best set of qualifying processes and materials suited for their application based on as many or as few input fields the user may be able to complete.